for W3c validation
The Words That Matter in 2017
Anne says: A collection of 40 essays on content publisher, Medium, who invited some of the year’s boldest thinkers, newsmakers, and creators to reflect on just one: the one word that mattered most in 2017.
This is a holiday reading piece, take the time to consider how much impact the word has had on your world, your business, your personal life.
And remember, words do matter.
Read: https://medium.com/wordsthatmatter
The year in review: When Trump and tech dystopia nonfiction took over
Nat says: My Friday Faves for the year have often followed certain themes and trends, namely existentialism, technology and the role of art in both our interpretation and understanding of life. I also happen to be, like most people, a book lover. The end-of-year article that I am sharing claims that the biggest trend in books in 2017 have been ones about the Presidency but, alongside this, there has been an increasing trend for nonfiction books that discuss the future of humanity surrounding our use of technology; and the outcome is somewhat bleak. As stated:
Writers – whether their focus is tech, economics, politics, or culture – are increasingly grappling with the demise of internet as free, as enabling, as an exploder of gatekeepers and monopolies…Sometimes the tech giants seem so monolithic that in the imagination they all merge into one villain, despite being in fierce competition among themselves.
The article mentions some of the dystopian books that have made an impact, with a few of them making it to my never-ending ‘to read’ list. However, what is interesting about this trend is the somewhat paradox we are facing as a species. As we evolve and grow more technologically advanced, we are – simultaneously – edging closer to our demise. For example, recent news has focused on the energy consumption behind the likes of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, whereas others have talked about technological growth leading to greater inequality and contributing to, rather than addressing, issues of sustainability.
Although such articles, along with the dystopian books, may look bleak, negative and somewhat ‘hard to confront’, they are precisely the realities we need to be confronting as a species. However, the attitude that allows us to confront and work on these issues head-on are, ironically, the same things that unite us around this time of year – hope, reflection, and a positive outlook for the future.
25 Quotes that sum up 2017
Joel says: As 2017 is winding to a close I figured this would be a great opportunity to look back on the year that was. Thankfully cNet have pulled together all the big events that happened throughout the course of the year in a series of quotes and tweets. Just small snippets, some that I had even forgotten about, summing up all of 2017.
From Trump and his Covfefe, scandals around Uber and its management, the WannaCry ransomware attack, Apple making the iPhone X ‘all screen’, and who could forget the rollout of 280 characters on Twitter. It’s all here and I think you may enjoy looking back on the events of the year before moving onto 2018.
So long 2017, it’s been fun. We hope you’ll join us again next year for more Friday Faves.
Read: https://www.cnet.com/au/pictures/best-quotes-of-2017-uber-fcc-elon-musk/
These Were The 25 Most Popular GIFs Of 2017
Emilio says: 2017 has been an eventful a year! None more so than in the realm of social media.
We who operate in this space have tried to unravel the holy grail of our social feeds’ algorithms; to combat fake news; to expose the army of bots that could be used for propaganda; to adapt to the ‘pivot to video’ phenomenon; to understand the impact of dark social and more. And we’re still trying.
But what’s social media without a good GIF! They amuse us, annoy us, and help us express our feelings and reactions in ways that words simply cannot.
So in honour of the year that was, and to end 2017 on a lighter note, here are the year’s most popular GIFs on GIPHY that have captivated us, the citizens of the internet. We look forward to the new year with wishes for more inspiration and thoughtfulness and less craziness on social media. And if things go the other way, we take comfort in the thought that there will be GIFs to help us cope, express and animate our sentiments to the world. Bring on 2018!
Read: https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2017/12/best-gifs-2017/
So long, 2017
Jakkii says: 2017 has been a big year. We lost (a) James Bond, Batman & Mary Tyler Moore. We welcomed our new robot overlords. We saw fantastic movies (and some terrible ones), and brilliant television. We heard beautiful music and fascinating podcasts. We read incredible books.
It was a big year in science, not all of it positive – President Trump had a significant impact in his first year in office, slashing budgets – including that of the EPA – and ‘banning’ words at the CDC. And (finally) moving past “Uber for X” as the dominant paradigm, Silicon Valley moved on to “inventing” things.
To close it all out, for your holiday reading stuff.co.nz have helpfully put together a list of their 100 best stories – note that’s a curated 100, not a ‘most clicked’ list – for 2017. There’s some stories you might be familiar with, but there was plenty on the list I’d missed throughout the year. It’s a great way to both catch up and reflect on the year that was, as we get ready and raring for the year to come.
Read: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/99980477/stuffs-100-best-stories-of-2017–part-one
Thanks again for joining us throughout the year – we’re looking forward to sharing more blogs with you (like our Friday Faves series) in 2018.
Happy Holidays!
